PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) - After Portsmouth City Council already voted to gift the city’s seldom-used fire boat to the inland town of Gilford, the vessel may remain docked along the coast after all.
The Portsmouth Herald reports (https://bit.ly/1TszgRc ) Fire Chief Steve Achilles said Monday that officials in New Castle have inquired whether the gift would be reconsidered if a group of municipalities agreed to pay maintenance costs for the boat.
Achilles said Portsmouth officials agreed, but will only consider the request if the communities - Newington, Rye and New Castle - pledged a financial commitment of “at least five years.”
The boat was purchased in 2005 through a federal Homeland Security grant and costs approximately $50,000 in annual upkeep. The grant stipulates that the boat can only be transferred to another community, not sold.
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Information from: Portsmouth Herald, https://www.seacoastonline.com
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